Petroplex News

ConocoPhillips has withdrawn its request for extensions for flaring permits after four clean air advocacy groups challenged the company, citing dangerous air pollutants that come from 41 of the company's oil and gas sites. 

The 41 sites have burned 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2018-2019, Environment Texas reported. This caused 1,262 tons of sulfur dioxide and 99 tons of nitrogen oxides to be released into the environment. 

Extension permits for these sites were challenged by the Environmental Integrity Project, Sierra Club, Environment Texas and Texas Campaign for the Environment.

“People should care about this issue, because these flares emit toxic air pollution that is hurting public health, and the Texas Railroad Commission has been granting permits for flaring with no real standards or oversight for years,” Colin Cox, attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project, told Environment Texas. 

Under the challenges from the four groups, ConocoPhillips withdrew their request for permit extensions. 

"Flaring pollutes our air, warms our climate and puts our health at risk. Giant balls of fire in the sky should not be a part of business as usual," said Emma Pabst, Global Warming Solutions advocate with Environment Texas. 

But the groups recognize that when ConocoPhillips withdrew its requests, it showed that the company can reduce the pollution it releases into the environment. 

"Today's decision shows us that industry knows how to reduce these harmful flaring activities," Corey Troiani, senior director with Texas Campaign for the Environment, told Environment Texas. "We need to hold them and the Texas Railroad Commission to a higher standard and stop allowing operators to forfeit our precious resources and put our health at risk."